I am a Visionary

I am an Idealist

Meet the Leaders

Meet the Leaders

Whether in their own firms or in their communities, these young people are leading the charge toward innovation in financial planning, bringing new opportunities to advisers and clients alike. Here, they share the best leadership advice they’ve received in their careers.

Meet the Trailblazers

Meet the Trailblazers

This group doesn’t subscribe to groupthink. They are spearheading new ways of practicing and delivering financial advice — in some cases reaching populations previously considered unprofitable to serve. We ask them about the most unique and unusual ideas they’ve had.

Meet the Entrepreneurs

Meet the Entrepreneurs

In addition to helping clients reach their financial goals, some in the advice industry face the challenge of running a business or a team. Others have started companies to support this pursuit. These young people are flourishing amid the balancing act — and some got an early start.

Meet the Visionaries

Meet the Visionaries

It’s not about what is, but what will be — and what can be — the future of the financial planning industry for this group of forward-looking advisers, educators and executives. Their insights pull the rest of the profession into the next stratum.

Meet the Idealists

Meet the Idealists

Life experiences shape our ideals, especially for these young professionals who see challenges in the advice industry and the world — and set out to meet them. They also have words of wisdom for the next generation.

Mr. Martin joined St. Louis-based Larson Financial Group in 2007, just one year after brothers Paul and Jeffrey Larson founded the advisory firm that focuses on financial planning for physicians and dentists.

Larson Financial, with $616 million in assets under management, has become one of the largest medical and dental financial services firms in the country. Now the third partner in the firm, Mr. Martin served a key role in Larson Financial's growth and is responsible for managing the firm's 300 employees and advisers nationwide from his home base of Fort Wayne, Ind.

To be sure, Mr. Martin's devotion to helping doctors took on extra weight when he and his wife adopted a 2-year-old girl from Moldova without knowing that she was a special needs child who would require the help of a neurosurgeon.

"That was one of the hardest days of my life when we were told," he said. "But we had amazing doctors who were so caring for our family. Their care took my passion for helping doctors to a whole new level."

With a dedication to educating doctors on how financial strategies lead to outcomes, Mr. Martin co-authored "Doctor's Eyes Only," a 240-page guide that lays out the specifics of cash flow, debt and risk management, investment accounts, tax planning and other topics.

Mr. Martin also was instrumental in creating the Larson Financial Foundation, which uses firm profits to donate food and clothing to the poor around the globe. His goal for the foundation's future is to make an even bigger difference by helping to build schools, orphanages and health clinics where his firm's doctor clients can get involved.